Council to scrap green roads after backlash
Almost 100 per cent of residents in Harrow tell consultation low-traffic neighbourhood should go
A LONDON council is expected to become the first in the country to permanently remove all of its green road schemes after a full review revealed the extent of their unpopularity.
Three cycle lanes and four low-traffic neighbourhoods in Harrow are to be ripped up later this month following a formal review and full consultation with residents.
A total of 7,392 responses to six of its seven different schemes were recorded by Harrow Council’s traffic and road safety advisory panel, with its recommendations expected to be enforced later this month.
Ninety-three per cent of residents and workers affected by the Honeypot Lane cycle path in Queensbury called for it to be removed.
A further 83 per cent of respondents disapproved of the Sheepcote Road scheme, while 87 per cent called for the Uxbridge Road cycle lane to go.
Low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Headstone South, Francis Road and Vaughan Road were subject to disapproval ratings that ranged from 65 to 80 per cent, according to a council report.
The report also highlighted increased congestion, higher levels of pollution, and delays to emergency service vehicles as a consequence of the LTNs and cycle lanes.
“The engagement and consultation over the experimental six-month period have highlighted that a majority do not agree with the design of the cycle lanes and have clearly indicated that they are not working for all users,” the report concluded.
“The schemes were funded on the condition that we only used the Transport for London design criteria, which wasn’t Harrow specific and therefore didn’t account for any local conditions.”
Tory London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey, who has pledged to rip up unwanted cycle lanes within 100 days if elected, said that all green transport initiatives in the capital must be subject to a review process.
“I’m not surprised Harrow Council launched this consultation and I’m glad they’ve given residents the chance to have their say,” he said. “Low-traffic neighbourhoods were introduced at the behest of [current London mayor] Sadiq Khan without any consultation. And too often they make traffic and pollution worse: the very problems they were supposed to fix.”
Harrow is the first council to completely scrap its ts schemes after a formal review period, riod, lasting for six months, and a complete mplete internal consultation with residents sidents over the same timeframe.
Last September, er, Wandsworth Coununcil suspended its LTNs after four weeks eeks – in the first month th of a review, and while consultation with residents was ongoing ing – because of “high-level” gh-level” objections from councillors ouncillors and the number r of complaints the authority ority had already received.
Paul Osborn, leader of Harrow Council’s Conservative opposition, opposition said the lanes saw low levels of o traffic and contributed to divisions divi in communities. “It’s incredibly i clear that the majority major of people are against these schemes, s and it’s been clear from the beginning,” he h said. “Even “Eve when the evidence residents were against again it became overwhelming, over they still didn’t listen. While Wh LTNs create some som streets where they the don’t have much muc traffic, all they do is push the traffic onto other roads.” Mr Osborn added: “This was w an attempt at an inner-London inne solution in an a outer London borough. There are issues that need fixing, but this just wasn’t the way of doing it.”
Stephen Greek, another Conservative councillor in the borough, said he had been “overwhelmed” by residents contacting him to complain about the initiative.
“Most of the people who are against these cycle lanes are not against cycling or against all cycle lanes,” he said. “They just cannot even fathom how such a poorly-designed scheme came about.
“They just wanted to see something well-designed, well thought through, and with a consultation.”
While the final decision will rest with Harrow Council’s cabinet, it is widely expected that members will support the removal of the LTNs and cycle lanes in a meeting on April 29.
Harrow Council was contacted for comment.